Tag Archives: writing fiction
What is the Ladder of Abstraction Part 2 by Sandi Somers
In Part 1 of “What Is the Ladder of Abstraction?”, I covered the basic concepts. Our speaking and writing can be compared to different rungs on a ladder. As your words climb up ladder, you increase the abstract language—concepts, ideas, and meaning. As you climb down to the bottom rungs, your language becomes more concrete—as… Read more »
Writing with Authenticity by Pamela Mytroen
Red CPR engines stormed by, just beyond the platform, shaking the window of the little dormer I stood in. My sister and I held each other and laughed at the thunder of what had become routine. The little nook of my Canadian Pacific Railway home, in which my sister and I enacted many doll-house mysteries,… Read more »
What Do We Know About Mrs F by Brenda J Wood
Mrs. F., as the sheriff calls her, that is Mrs. Fletcher of Murder She Wrote fame is not as mysterious as one would think. She eats like I wish I did, lots of fruit and veggies, preferring seafood over steak. She never eats a full dessert although she’s been known to have a bite or… Read more »
Choosing a Writing Method by Pamela Mytroen
What writing method do you use for short stories or novels? There are many. There’s the Skeleton Method that Angela Hunt uses (and taught us at our Fall Conference). Or there’s the Chapter Method where the story is first summarized in one or two sentences and then each chapter is summarized on index cards. The… Read more »
A Three Act Sandwich by Tracy Krauss
Building a Sandwich You may be familiar with the good old sandwich analogy. Take two pieces of bread—the beginning of the story and the ending—and layer the rest of the ingredients in between. This is the basic three act structure that fits almost every kind of fiction, no matter if it’s a play, a short… Read more »
Middles by Janice L. Dick
Middles have a way of sagging. I’m talking about books, of course! (adapted from http://www.coloring.ws/t.asp?b=m&t=http://www.coloring.ws/animals/horses/horse7.gif)
Effective Endings – Fiction 101 Part 1 by Janice L. Dick
Satisfaction Guaranteed! That’s our motto. We want to make sure that once we’ve shared with our readers the journey our characters have taken, we also grant them a satisfying ending. It doesn’t matter how great the story is; it must leave us content on some level by the time we turn the final page.